The Sane Keeping The Insane At Bay

Posted on 17 Jun 2018 @ 11:34am by Lieutenant JG Rizil Chaya & Lieutenant Aria Rice

2,239 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Security Office, USS Galileo
Timeline: MD135, 10:00

ON:

Lieutenant Junior Grade Aria Rice sat in the Security Office of the USS Galileo leaning back in her chairs with her Starfleet issue boots firmly on the desk. In her hand she had a PADD and she wore the uniform...plus her hair with mustard streaks in it in bunches and sunglasses on. Not because she was hungover, oh hell to the no, but because she was bored. Others were either patrolling, on the bridge or doing training but Aria had pulled the straw that said 'you are stuck in the office so when someone comes in they can speak to a person'. As if. She might have done this long enough to try and be professional, but right now she had been alone for so long that the 'professional' hat had been salted, burned and buried.

Still, it wasn't that she disliked spending time with her petite self. Just after awhile her brain went into overdrive and she started doing things like reading back-dated report rather than tackle the new pile of PADDs she needed to do. After all, a lot of Security was doing the reports. It was what kept them employed! Woo....

She sighed and threw the PADD on her desk, reaching for the cup of coffee and took a sip...them grimaced and spat it out into the mug when the bitter coldness hit her senses. "Eww..." she moved her hand to her tongue, trying to wipe it. "Ew, ew, ew..." she shuddered and swung her legs off the desk and stood, taking the offending cup and moved it to be recycled. "Urgh...feel sick now..." she removed her sunglasses when the doors swished open, pushing them up to her hair.

"You gonna drink that?" came a glib voice from across Aria's desk. In her frantic scramble to rid herself of foreign coffee invaders, Aria had missed the security doors opening and closing to reveal none other than a person! Said person was dressed in a rumpled yellow uniform with LTJG pips, sporting fuzzy, short-cropped hair, mischievous light brown eyes and mildly slanted brows. On her right ear was a silver d'ja pagh, the traditional jewelry worn by Bajorans. That, coupled with the ridges across her nose, gave her heritage away succinctly. Her skin was just the faintest bit olive-tinged, which may have indicated some equatorial descent. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing two alien tattoos on her left forearm when she shifted. A smudge of dirt slashed across her cheek and she had a wrench in her back pocket. "Breakfast of champions, right?" she leaned over and sniffed the mug. "On second thought..." You know, also, Aria had spit in it, so hopefully the interloper was kidding. She grinned brightly. "Lieutenant Rizil." She held out her hand. "Chaya, if you prefer." She pronounced it khai-ya.

"Lieutenant Rice...Aria if you prefer," Aria said and looked at the woman, then the hand, then to the hand before she reached out to take it. She was a little bit surprised. Just a little bit. The other woman was older than her. Because, you know, most people were taller than Aria. Pretty, too. And Aria's observation skills clocked the Bajoran jewellery because she always thought they were very pretty and shiny but she wasn't about to wear one to start a diplomatic incident if she wore it wrongly or weirdly or as a belly button ring. Not that she hadn't contemplated it in her time. She realised she had held the hand for a bit too long and, because why not, she just said it. "I've been shaking your hand too long, it's awkward now..." she let go and motioned around. "So this is...it. I am still getting used to the new crew and all. Very...new crew...newish, I'm actually old, but back again. So new old? Returned? That just sounds weird!"

"I like Returned. Very Exorcist." It wasn't common to hear an alien espouse ancient Terran film, but Chaya had gravitated to it, especially while she was learning Federation Standard English. Chaya's eyebrows bounced playfully, and, easily able to diffuse the awkwardness, she gave Aria's hand a light squeeze before letting go. "I, on the other hand, am new. Fresh off the Seine." The Defiant-class ship had solely done border patrol missions for some time. Its small size likely explained why Chaya was going around inspecting the fire suppression systems herself. On a ship like the Seine, everybody pitched in. "I pretty much just came up here to log some maintenance. Something was tetchy in Jefferies intersec 37-A. Kept giving off false alarms. You want some company? Paperwork is always better with a friend."

"Err...sure...and you do know we have like a whole Operations department to deal with the weird cracks and stuff, right?" Aria said and motioned for the seats...well, the entire office really. She flashed her a quick smile and took a seat, pulling a PADD close. "Sooo...." she let the word, or sound, hang in the air for a moment. "You like Security?" A safe opening question. Usually Aria would have liked a bottle of something. Something strong. Something with shot glasses around it. Maybe vodka. Or tequila.

Chaya lowered herself gracefully, leaning her elbows on crossed legs as she clutched her PADD against her knee. "I love it. You get these people who conflate Sec with being a grunt, but if you do your job well, especially on a non-combat vessel like this, it can be incredibly nuanced. What about you? How long have you served?"

Aria looked at Chaya before she considered it. "Almost four years," she said, surprised. It felt longer. And there had been so much that had happened. Two demotions. More promotions. A lot of different ships, different missions, different problems. But it hadn't been that long, not in years. "I have been...err...kept busy. I do love it. I love what I do...apart from the paperwork, but making a difference, helping...it's more than just fighting, you know? You...do proper stuff."

"Have you always wanted to do Sec?" Chaya asked, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. She appeared to be genuinely interested in Aria, as though hanging onto her every word. There was something a little reflexive about her facial expressions, though. Perhaps a form of armor less sinister than someone who was outright rude or closed off.

Aria looked down at the PADD before she shook her head weakly. "No," she admitted after a moment. "I wanted to be a Marine. But I wouldn't have cut it there. And besides, they're now getting absorbed into the regular fleet so it doesn't matter. But I knew I wanted to serve somewhere. Security was...maybe it was second best, but I could do it." She chuckled and looked up, just holding Chaya's eyes. "And usually it takes about three shots to make me admit it, so you must be pretty good at your job."

Chaya batted her lashes and then laughed, clutching her chest. "Who, me??" she claimed faux-innocence dramatically. "I considered the Marines," she added, sitting back after a second. "Chose Sec instead. It's a talky job. I'd probably be better at the shooty job, but, y'know. Aim high. Then kick 'em in the balls when they're not looking."

"Only bit I can usually reach," Aria said with a chuckle before she shook her head, her fingers moving on the PADD. "My Dad was a Marine, it's why I wanted to go into it. But I got...this body, rather than taller and stronger, so I went for what I would be able to do. Oh. By the way, better pray you never get the Chief chair here. It's cursed."

"Cursed?" Chaya's somewhat slanted eyebrows shot up. "What, like, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor cursed?" Chaya's love of ancient Terran media (which is truly, an unusual predilection to have, almost as though a human is controlling her thoughts...) apparently didn't stop at tacky B-movies.

"Like...no one lasts long in it, sorta cursed," Aria said and leant close, her voice lowered dramatically. "I've seen it. Everyone who gets it...eventually...something bad happens. Either it is the final ending, or it is getting transferred somewhere horrible, or just disappear...I am never putting my tiny self in it, that I can tell you for free."

"Are you sure it's not just a matter of correlation isn't equal to causation?" Chaya teased lightly. "After all, security chief is statistically the most dangerous job aboard a starship. Sounds like this ship is cursed, if all our chiefs keep kicking it. Actually, I'm not sure if that's any better..."

"Oh, you think this is going to be a nice, quiet journey?" Aria's eyes widened and she shook her head, wagging a finger. "Oh hell no, that's not the way it will go! When I was here last we...let's see...there was the wannabe Borg and naked shower aliens, there was the beasts in the cave that went chomp chomp on the Chief, there was various close to death situations where I felt like I should be wearing a diaper and only the stars know what has been happening while I was away!" she sat back and shook her head, slowly, considering it for a moment. "You know what. I spent time on the edges of the border with pirates and smugglers and all those less than savoury types and it felt like a holiday. Truth is though..." she paused as she considered it, frowning. "It is addictive. It's why I keep coming back."

"I thought this was a science vessel," Chaya deadpanned. "I apparently vastly under-estimated the mayhem, chaos and disproportional threats to life this posting has to offer. Well, it beats border patrol."

Aria shook her head before she eased back in the chair, taking her sunglasses and putting them on. "It's because, Chaya...Scientists have shit survival instinct. Absolutely useless. They spend their time taking readings of exploding things. Who does that? Crazy people!"

Chaya laughed as Aria continued on her comical tirade. It was refreshing to meet someone (in the security department, no less, where curmudgeonly NCOs named Thomas Hawke went to die, seriously, they were all named Thomas Hawke) who valued play as well as work. "It's a good thing they've got us, then. Sounds like half this job is protecting the crew from themselves."

"Oh, it is. And if it isn't from themselves it will be from whatever science experiment they forgot to feed..." Aria pulled the sunglasses down and met Chaya's eyes. "For really smart people...they're really dumb. So. You ready to put yourself there between danger and the scientists?"

"That is why I went through four years of officer training," Chaya smirked, leaning back slightly. The longer they talked, the less tense her posture became, although she was still highly fidgety. Bouncing her knee, tapping her stylus against her PADD, gazing around the room curiously. There was an abundance of energy in this security officer's demeanor begging to be expressed, but kept on a tight leash.

Aria clocked the movements before she smiled, watching her before she standing. She knew the fidgeting very well. She suffered from it too. "Okay, you got what my Dad would call ants in your pants. So you either need to go and hit the gym or explore, or more around..." she said and held up her hands. "I won't be offended if you want to go and explore. We can always meet up again. Hell. The bar is a much better place to go. Or anywhere. Dancing. Even the gym or holodeck..."

"Ah, darn, you caught me." Chaya flushed slightly, a little embarrassed, but it was good-natured. "I will definitely say that talking to you has significantly cheered up this requisitions report, however," she complimented with a wave of her PADD. "I am super down for literally all of those things. Except the dancing. I dance like a flamingo having a seizure."

"That's how Klingons dance, so you're cool," Aria said without missing a beat before she chuckled. "Well, hit me up once you're off duty. I do a lot of martial arts...or drinking...so whichever you want to do, I tend to be game for."

"Just no martial arts while drinking," Chaya grinned and rose to her feet, shooting Aria a genuine smile. "You're a breath of fresh air. I'm glad we met. Hopefully you're my patrol buddy." She gave a two-fingered salute and backed away, but just before she hit the threshold, she segued into the moonwalk, backwards, through the open doors.

"Liar, you can dance!" Aria shouted after her and laughed when the doors closed, moving to sit down. Yes, she liked this new addition. It was nice to see another officer who did not take herself too seriously.

OFF:

Lieutenant Grade Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC Constantin Vansen]

Lieutenant JG Rizil Chaya
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

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